May 24, 2023

South Korea resumes German pork imports following two-year suspension due to ASF

South Korea has decided to lift its ban on German pork imports, allowing them to resume after a suspension of over two years caused by the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Germany, Channel News Asia reported.

The South Korean government has now accepted the rationalisation concept, which restricts pork imports only from the affected region. As a result, the first three German slaughterhouses and meatpackers have been granted authorisation to immediately resume exports to South Korea.

Cem Oezdemir, Germany's Agriculture Minister, expressed satisfaction with the successful efforts to lift the restrictions, adding that Germany has been able to create functioning protection measures against ASF.

The German government has been working diligently to contain ASF within eastern Germany, where it has been consistently observed among wild boars. Although farm cases remain rare, industry analysts anticipate that China's pork market will remain closed to German pork for years. Other European Union producer countries, such as Spain, have been able to secure new business opportunities as a result of the Asian bans on German pork.

Oezdemir said that the government is working on lifting restrictions on German pork in other countries, with a particular focus on China.

In 2019, before the ASF outbreak, Germany exported approximately 106,000 tonnes of pork to South Korea, valued at around 298 million euros (~US$328 million; EUR 1 = US$1.08).

-      Channel News Asia